Anti-Israel Groups Attempt to Indoctrinate Youth with Hatred of the Jewish State in ‘Summer Camps’

New York, NY, June 19, 2013 … Three groups with established records of stoking anti-Israel activity are organizing “summer camps” and “summer institutes” in New York and Chicago, where they will attempt to indoctrinate young children with biased narratives of Israeli-Palestinian history and teach college students to organize campaigns to boycott the state of Israel.

The camps raise concerns about the potential indoctrination of children as young as eight years old into the anti-Israel movement, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), as well as efforts to bring in new recruits to push the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement on American college campuses.

“Efforts to isolate Israel on campus do not cease with the end of the school year,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “These organized summer camps serve to indoctrinate the next generation of activists with biased messages intended to single out Israel. Organizers of the college-level programs seek to provide students with tools to steer public opinion away from the Jewish state.”

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) are each separately organizing summer camps and institutes. AMP’s program in Chicago, slated for June 15 through August 3, is geared toward 8- to 12-year-old children. According to ADL, AMP is the leading organization providing anti-Zionist training and education to students and Muslim community organizations in the country. At times, the group has also provided a platform for anti-Semitism under the guise of educating Americans about “the just cause of Palestine and the rights of self-determination.”

AMP has previously trained high school and college students to engage in anti-Israel campaigns.

"If the past is any indication, AMP will likely provide these kids the most misleading and distorted narratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," said Mr. Foxman. "By AMP's cynical calculation, there is no such thing as being too young to start learning how to hate Israel."

The AFSC/JVP camp in New York seeks to bring together college students from across the country who are engaged in BDS campaigns to improve their tactics.

Jewish Voice for Peace is one of the leading pro-BDS organizations in the U.S. and is the primary group behind efforts to pressure TIAA-CREF, a major financial institution, to disinvest from multinational companies that work with Israel.

American Friends Service Committee has also played a part in the BDS movement in the U.S. and sponsors dozens of anti-Israel events and programs across the country.

ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.